A few days back, the Associated Press broke a story about Chevrolet introducing a 50 mile-per-gallon, diesel-powered Cruze. In case you haven’t been following recent car sales numbers, the Cruze has been the best selling compact car in the U.S. for the past few months, and there’s good reason for that. It’s stylish, it’s comfortable and it’s priced right; in short, it’s the kind of car that Saturn should have been cranking out all along. You can get a Cruze with several engine options in America, and you can even buy it with a turbodiesel in other parts of the world (Australia, for example).

You can’t buy an oil-burner here, thanks to U.S. standards for diesel emissions. At the moment, ours are the strictest regulations in the world, and the Euros won’t catch up until the Euro 6 standard is implemented in September of 2014. Some automakers (Volkswagen / Audi, for example) already build engines that comply with Euro 6 and can be sold globally. Most do not, since it costs a significant amount of money to design, test and certify a new engine. You’ve heard automakers say “Americans don’t like diesels” for years, and that’s only partially true. A more accurate statement is that “Americans won’t buy enough diesels to make a new engine program financially advantageous. Yet.”

That changes after September 2014, when the world is again on a level playing field for diesel exhaust emissions. GM will need to certify their 2.0 liter turbodiesel for Euro 6 by then, so a Cruze turbodiesel becomes a very real possibility in later 2013 or early 2014. Look for small turbodiesels from other manufacturers as well, and don’t be surprised when diesel engines begin turning up in some unlikely places. VW’s Miata-fighting roadster, currently under development, is said to come with a TDI motor.

Source: Detroit News

A 1983 300D Turbo Diesel. Image: Mercedes Motoring

J.G. Francis is smarter than most of us, since he actually listened to all that “follow your passion” advice from his guidance counselor. Now he owns Mercedes Motoring, a successful Los Angeles restoration shop and used car dealership that specializes in 1974 to 1985 Mercedes-Benz diesels. In Francis’ expert opinion, these cars can be made to run almost indefinitely, given the proper care and feeding. He makes a good case for them on his website, advising that clean examples (like the ones he restores and sells) have already been fully depreciated. In other words, unlike new cars, these restored diesels will either appreciate in value (best case scenario) or maintain their current value. The Mercedes-produced video below gives you a glimpse into Francis’ life, but stops short of promoting his Mercedes Motoring business. After all, he’s not an authorized Mercedes-Benz dealer, and I’m sure their corporate lawyers said “nein” to promoting his shop.

Francis comes across as a guy you want to have a beer with, just to trade stories about old cars. I’ve got to admit he’s on to something, since the cars he’s sold look showroom new and roll out the door at year-old-Hyundai prices. Diesels aren’t for everybody, but there is something perversely appealing about rolling in a vintage turbo-diesel Benz to me. I’m not in the market for a new sedan, but if I was, I’d think about a trip to Los Angeles for a beer and a test drive.

For the first time in quite awhile people are purchasing automobiles based on fuel economy more than emotion. They’re shopping with their brains more then their hearts, which means that the performance based automobile may be looking at a tough road ahead. 550 hp cars are wonderful things and as journalist we’re pre-programmed to like them because let’s face it, they make our jobs fun. However when it comes time to filling their fuel tanks our love for them tends to diminish. The new Cadillac CTS-V line for example is one of our favorites, but the thought of putting $65.00 worth of fuel in those suckers every 225 miles is simply not appealing. Don’t get me wrong, I’d buy one in less than a heartbeat if I could, but I’d also have to have something fuel efficient parked next to it in the driveway. The question though is which type of fuel efficient car should you purchase.

Hybrids, turbo diesels, small displacement turbo petrol engines and electric cars all have their pro’s and con’s, but in the end there is actually a fair amount of research that needs to be done before pulling the trigger. Hybrids for example offer great fuel economy by combining electric drive with small gas engines, however they’re about as exciting to look as a pair of old people power walkers (think Toyota Prius). Small displacement turbo engines offer great fuel economy and come in some nice wrappers, i.e. Chevrolet Cruze, but they lack any sort of real grunt and with full electric vehicles you’ll be constantly suffering from range anxiety.

Personally, I’m a big fan of turbo diesels. Cars like the BMW 335d and Volkswagen Jetta TDI are clean burning, offer great fuel economy and have power and torque to spare. Sure they may be a bit pricier, but in the end I think they offer the best compromise between performance, style and economy.

The Mahindra TR-40.

Remember Mahindra pickups? The compact, diesel engined trucks that were going to take the U.S. by storm? First there was the lawsuit against Mahindra by importer Global Vehicles, who alleged that the Indian manufacturer was dragging their heels on EPA and DOT certification. Mahindra followed up by revoking Global Vehicle’s distributor status; that particular soap opera is ongoing, so Mahindra currently lacks a U.S. distributor. It turns out that’s a good thing, since the EPA just slapped a fuel economy rating of 19 mpg city and 21 mpg highway on the Mahindra TR40 Crew Cab pickup. That’s a far cry from Mahindra’s claims of 30 mpg highway, and it’s about on par with a base model Ford F-150 with a 3.7 liter V6 gasoline engine (which gets 17 mpg in the city and 23 mpg on the highway). So much for diesels being more fuel efficient than their gasoline counterparts.

So if fuel economy isn’t a selling point of the Mahindra trucks, is towing capacity is worth mentioning? Not really, since the four-banger diesel Mahindras are only rated to tow (or haul) 5,000 pounds. That leaves size (the Mahindras are smaller than other trucks on the market) and price (too early to say, but safe to assume below Toyota and Nissan) as Mahindra’s only selling points. As Mitsubishi and Isuzu found out, it’s tough to sell compact pickups in the U.S. market on price alone, so I’d be very surprised if Mahindra pickups actually do make it to the U.S. market.

Source: Autoblog

Thanks to stellar sales of their Panamera, Porsche is seriously considering bringing forth diesel varients of the Cayenne SUV and the Panamera sedan over to the United States. Porsche is no stranger to diesels, in fact they’ve been selling a diesel version of the Cayenne over in Europe since early 2009. Currently their is no Panamera diesel, but one is expected to debut at the upcoming Geneva Show in March. Over the last 5 years Americans have finally begun to warm up to the concept of diesel powered automobiles. They’re clean burning, offer good performance and provide consumers with decent fuel economy. In a recent conversation with Automotive News Europe, Bernhard Maier, Porsche’s sales and marketing chief stated that, “We are discussing internally if we should introduce the Cayenne diesel in the U.S. this year. Also a Panamera diesel is an option,”. By all accounts this seems like a good move not only for Porsche, but for U.S. buyers as well, as the popularity for fuel-efficient luxury cars is definitely on the move.

Source: AutoNews

One thing that I absolutely despise is finding out about newly released automobiles and then learning that they’re not coming to the United States. For example, we recently told you about a new diesel powered Mini that’s set to be unveiled at the Geneva Auto Show in March. It not only gets incredible fuel economy, but would be perfect for American consumers who are looking to do more with less. Then there is the case of Ford’s stellar 305-hp/325-lb-ft of torque turbocharged 2010 Ford Focus RS. This is a car that would likely set the hot-hatch import crowd on its ear and rack up all sorts of awards. Or what about the nut-ball sport pickup that resembles an old Chevrolet El Camino in the form of the Australian only, Holden Ute SS Redline. That sucker will not only satisfy your inner redneck, but it will do so above and beyond the 150 mph mark.

*Photo Credit: Motor Trend Magazine

Some say that the grass is always greener on the other side, and while I’d like to think it is, I suppose we really shouldn’t bitch. I mean in a day and age where we have 556 horsepower Cadillac’s and 412 hp sub-35K Mustang GT’s running around, maybe we should just be thankful for what we have. Who knows, maybe I’m jealous or maybe I just want to experience anything and everything automotive. All I know is that even though they’re not my cup of tea, I really want a 2010 Ford Focus RS sitting in my garage.

Here in the United States there is obviously a huge environmental push going on to find new, cleaner ways of powering our vehicles, while at the same time producing better mileage. Electric vehicles, plug-in hybrids and clean diesels are now all in production and on their way to giving consumers more choices that will leave a smaller footprint on our environment. Clean diesels are fuel efficient, expel low emissions and provide owners with lots of low-end torque. Motoring File is reporting there will be a new Mini Cooper SD (diesel) that will make its debut at the Geneva Auto Show in March. It will be powered by a 143 hp BMW turbo diesel that will kick out a rumored 225 lb-ft of torque and achieve over 60 mpg. Now I don’t know about you, but this sounds like a Cooper owners wet dream. Unfortunately, due to U.S. EPA regulations, the odds of us seeing this new diesel Cooper on this side of the pond are slim to none. For enthusiasts this is truly unfortunate as power wise the diesel Cooper will pump out more torque then even their JCW edition.

Source: MotoringFile via Autoblog

The Dakar Rally is one of, if not the most grueling off-road event in the world. It pits teams from all over the globe in a race that covers every type of off road terrain there is. Mud and gravel, to some of the largest sand dunes in existence make up a course that will test the constitution of every team member. The vehicles and competitors that run this race are as hard as they come, and their preparation is almost as grueling as the event itself. Vehicles are forced into conditions the likes of which would disable a production vehicle in a matter of minutes, thus these competition vehicles are engineered to the max. The above shows the Czech Dakar Team testing for this years Dakar Rally (currently underway). Their weapon of choice – a Tatra 815 4×4 truck that is powered by a massive Caterpillar diesel engine. This is not some little runabout, but a full on off-road beast that is capable of taking mass amounts of punishment. Watching the Czech Team sling this thing around like a slot car is simply astonishing and something that I think everyone will enjoy.

Source: Dakar.com

It’s not too often that I am in awe of home built vehicles. This one however, called the “Pismo Beast Buggy” is just too cool though. The Beast Buggy started life as A FL120 Diesel truck that was transformed over time into a Mad Max-esque beach crawler the likes of which I have never seen before. A massive diesel engine powers its two monster truck size rear wheels, and with passenger accommodations for 8 people, this sucker can go just about anywhere. I think the best part though are the massive twin stacks that belch out black smoke every time the accelerator is hit. Hell, I’m intimidated just watching it on video for God’s sake. I have to say that this is truly one of the coolest home built off-road monsters that I have ever witnessed.

Source: Youtube.com

The 6.4 liter Navistar engine (above) is not included in the lawsuits.

A buddy of mine used to be a service manager at one of the country’s largest Ford dealerships. “The PowerStroke diesels built by Navistar,” he used to tell me, “will put my kids through college.” He was the first to advise people against buying anything with the Navistar-sourced 6.0 liter (or later, 6.4 liter) diesel engine, which has already been the subject of litigation between Ford and Navistar. Owners of Navistar-engined vehicles apparently agree with Ford, and have filed suit against Navistar in California, Utah, Arkansas, Tennessee and Mississippi. The plaintiff in the lawsuit is seeking class-action status, based on the fact that Navistar knowingly built engines with design and manufacturing defects. The lawsuit covers 6.0 liter diesel engines used in Ford trucks between 2003 and 2007, and does not (yet) include 6.4 liter Navistar engined vehicles.

The relationship between Ford and Navistar turned ugly in 2007, when Ford accused Navistar of building defective engines that had exorbitant warranty costs. Navistar counter-sued Ford, alleging breach of contract because Ford had begun work on their own diesel engine (the much improved 6.7 liter Scorpion engine, now available in Ford trucks). Ford and Navistar agreed to shake hands and part company (except for a few ongoing joint ventures) in 2009.

Source: Left Lane News